Samsung and Google were expected to launch the new Nexus Prime handset running …

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Samsung and Google have canceled their October 11 event in San Diego where the Nexus Prime phone and Android 4.0 operating system (Ice Cream Sandwich) were all-but-certain to be officially launched. In a statement released to All Things Digital, the two parties confirmed that they prefer not to time such an announcement so close to Steve Jobs’ recent passing.

While not officially confirmed by either company, the event was widely speculated to be the big unveil of Google’s next Nexus phone, the Samsung Nexus Prime, which would be the first handset to run Ice Cream Sandwich. This morning, both companies notified media outlets that the event would not be taking place, saying “both parties have agreed that this is not the appropriate time for the announcement of a new product.”

In a later statement, the companies elaborated: “We believe this is not the right time to announce a new product as the world expresses tribute to Steve Jobs’ passing.” New speculation suggests the event, called Samsung Unpacked, will be held October 27 in London, clashing with Nokia World 2011 and the expected release of a few Windows Mango handsets.

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Casey Johnston
Casey Johnston is the former Culture Editor at Ars Technica, and now does the occasional freelance story. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Applied Physics. Twitter@caseyjohnston